Described as ‘Partnership'

Winter Haven Hospital Board OKs Joining BayCare

Published: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

WINTER HAVEN | The Winter Haven Hospital board agreed Tuesday to proceed with a plan to join BayCare Health System, with the hospital remaining non-profit but no longer operating solely on its own.

"This is going to be good for our community and our hospital," said Lance Anastasio, president and chief executive officer of WHH.

"We will secure the benefits of scale and still have significant involvement of our community."

The board of trustees' vote was unanimous, he said, adding that the medical executive staff also is on record as saying it will be a good affiliation.

WHH and BayCare officials have finished their "due diligence" review of each other's finances and procedures. They are working on the official documents defining their partnership, approval of which is expected in April or May.

Non-profit BayCare has 10 acute-care hospitals and one long-term care hospital in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. This would be its first in Polk County.

South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City, the one closest to Polk, has been part of BayCare since 1997.

Winter Haven Hospital's allegiance with BayCare, coupled with Lakeland Regional Medical Center's decision to enter the University of South Florida Health System, marks a major local transition.

Lakeland Regional, Polk's largest hospital, and Winter Haven, the second largest, have been the county's only stand-alone, independent hospitals.

"Polk County's two largest hospital systems are going to start a dramatic transition," said Troy DeDecker, until recently chief executive of Bartow Regional Medical Center. "The landscape in Polk County will be dramatically different in the first quarter of 2014 than in the first quarter of 2013."

BayCare isn't buying the hospital, said Stephen Mason, president and chief executive officer of BayCare.

He called the alliance a consolidation. Anastasio called it "a partnership, a joint venture."

BayCare hospitals are able to save money on purchases and learn from each others' "best practices," Mason said.

"We will assume their debt and any obligations they have," Mason said, as BayCare does with its other hospitals.

<p>WINTER HAVEN | The Winter Haven Hospital board agreed Tuesday to proceed with a plan to join BayCare Health System, with the hospital remaining non-profit but no longer operating solely on its own.</p><p>"This is going to be good for our community and our hospital," said Lance Anastasio, president and chief executive officer of WHH.</p><p>"We will secure the benefits of scale and still have significant involvement of our community."</p><p>The board of trustees' vote was unanimous, he said, adding that the medical executive staff also is on record as saying it will be a good affiliation.</p><p>WHH and BayCare officials have finished their "due diligence" review of each other's finances and procedures. They are working on the official documents defining their partnership, approval of which is expected in April or May.</p><p>Non-profit BayCare has 10 acute-care hospitals and one long-term care hospital in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. This would be its first in Polk County.</p><p>South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City, the one closest to Polk, has been part of BayCare since 1997.</p><p>Winter Haven Hospital's allegiance with BayCare, coupled with Lakeland Regional Medical Center's decision to enter the University of South Florida Health System, marks a major local transition.</p><p>Lakeland Regional, Polk's largest hospital, and Winter Haven, the second largest, have been the county's only stand-alone, independent hospitals.</p><p>"Polk County's two largest hospital systems are going to start a dramatic transition," said Troy DeDecker, until recently chief executive of Bartow Regional Medical Center. "The landscape in Polk County will be dramatically different in the first quarter of 2014 than in the first quarter of 2013."</p><p>BayCare isn't buying the hospital, said Stephen Mason, president and chief executive officer of BayCare.</p><p>He called the alliance a consolidation. Anastasio called it "a partnership, a joint venture."</p><p>BayCare hospitals are able to save money on purchases and learn from each others' "best practices," Mason said.</p><p>"We will assume their debt and any obligations they have," Mason said, as BayCare does with its other hospitals.</p><p>BayCare has a better credit rating, Anastasio said, which will lower WHH's interest payments in future projects.</p><p>Networking, through arrangements like this and varying arrangements with physicians, is the future of health care, Anastasio said.</p><p>WHH board Chairman Mark Bostick in a statement issued Tuesday said "BayCare is a locally owned, locally controlled, not-for-profit health care provider that focuses relentlessly on providing patients with clinical excellence and state-of-the-art medical services."</p><p>"Our research assures us that by partnering, we can continue along that same path," he said.</p><p>Hospital involvement with the University of Florida will continue and probably grow, Mason and Anastasio said.</p><p>The alliance will "ensure and enhance" WHH's mission, Anastasio said, but there will be governing changes:</p><p>WHH will continue having a local board, with six of its members appointed locally and eight by BayCare.</p><p>Recommendations for the eight will be made locally and Mason said BayCare wants local residents on the board.</p><p>"We won't be appointing people from Tampa," he said.</p><p>The WHH board and administration will be in charge of daily operations, Mason said, but budgets and capital spending will be approved by BayCare boards that include WHH representatives.</p><p>The name will stay Winter Haven Hospital, Anastasio said, with BayCare Health System on its signs also.</p><p>"The system actually works really well," Mason said.</p><p>"We've never denied any hospital anything they asked for if they justify their request."</p>